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Men in court over £1m drugs haul

A HAUL of more than £1m-worth of drugs - believed to be herbal cannabis and cocaine were seized yesterday in Thurrock.

Two vans were stopped by police in an operation by officers from the Kent & Essex Serious Crime Directorate around 7am and two men were arrested on suspicion of being involved in the supply of drugs.

The police operation took place on the A13 roundabout at junction 31 of the M25. Approximately 200 kilos of cannabis and 1.5kgs of cocaine have been recovered.

Robert Preston, 53, of Great Stony Park, Ongar, has been charged with being concerned in the supply of cannabis and being concerned in the supply of cocaine, while Lee Samways, 23 of Stradbroke Grove, Buckhurst Hill has been charged with being concerned in the supply of cannabis.

Both are due at magistrates court today.

DCI Stuart Smith said: "Through this operation we have prevented a large quantity of drugs from being distributed and made arrests of people involved in the supply chain. Drugs ultimately cause misery to people’s lives and lead to further crime.”